Conventional data storage devices generally fall into two categories. The first category is electronic, solid-state memory devices such as read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). These memory devices are generally fitted within the computer. They are not intended to be removable or portable so that they may be used on different computers, for example, to permit the transfer of data from one computer to another computer.
The second type of device is surface based data storage devices in which data is stored, typically, on the surface of a disk or tape. Examples of surface storage devices are magnetic disks and CD ROMs. Such data storage devices require a mechanical drive mechanism to be installed in or coupled to the computer to permit the data on the storage device to be read by the computer. In addition, such memory devices are limited by the surface area of the storage device, and the combination of the storage device and the drive mechanism for reading data from the storage device is generally bulky and/or delicate due to the moving parts that are required within the drive mechanism and/or storage device.